[rescue] Desk-height DEC "half rack"?

[John Hudak]

Back in the day, when we wanted to get racks that were physically similar
to DEC racks, we generally got racks from BUD.  (there was another mfg but
I just cant remember who it was).

In any case, Bud, among others make small 'table top' and wall racks that
are approximately 20-24" in overall height.
If you are considering rolling your own so to speak, you may want to
consider something like this:
http://www.budind.com/view/Electronics+Cabinets/Wall+Mount+Cabinet+Emperor+Series
or
http://www.budind.com/view/Electronics+Cabinets/Econocab

The first suggestion above is appealing as it has a removable solid back
panel, a front door, and fans.  One could simply turn it upside down, bolt
the top end panel to the bottom of a desk and be done with it.
It is 21" high, and given the nominal height of a desk is 28" that leaves
approximately 7" clearance from the ground.
It has a depth of 16: which is plenty for a 4, 6, or 9 slot DEC Qbus card
cage and associated power supply.

While the under cabinet mtg looks nice, I found that (in my setting) was
not very practical - changing computer configurations, moving it closer to
system under test or monitoring, and moving it to another lab was
cumbersome.  I'd opt for putting it on casters similar to movable under
desk 2-drawer file cabinets.   Or, find a old Micro VAX cabinet such as:
BA23, BA123, 630QE, or  BA215 oe BA213.    I found that making any changes
to a system attached to a desk that is up against a wall, a pain.

Good luck
J





On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 10:31 AM, Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Bill,
>
> Which aspect is most important to you, the work surface top or the rack?
>
> If it's the work surface, I don't really have a good answer, but if it is
> the
> rack itself, why not get simply get a half-height rack from Dell? I picked
> one
> up with a PS/2 slide-out keyboard/trackpad/display for $75 a while ago.
>
> For example:
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/322381305768
>
> My rack looks more like this:
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/152381568955
>
> Shipping on these items is asinine, I remember I bought a brand new old
> stock
> rack in MD, it was cheaper to take a day off from work and rent a cargo
> van to
> drive from NJ to MD to pick it up.
>
> The first one says $50 shipping, I can't believe that.
>
> Lionel
>
>
>
> Ken
> > On Jan 20, 2017, at 4:35 AM, Bill Bradford <mrbill at mrbill.net> wrote:
> >
> > Ages and ages ago when I lived in Austin, I had a DEC "half rack" that
> was
> basically meant for an LSI-based PDP-11 system.  It was approximately
> desk-height (27-29" or so) and had a laminate top so you could use it as an
> > additional work surface.
> >
> > Does anybody recognize/remember what I'm talking about?  If so, what was
> the
> > official DEC part name / description for this?  And most important, where
> can
> > I get one, or something very similar, nowdays?
> >
> > I bought one of these from Amazon back in 2013, but as you can see from
> > my review it's garbage - holes not drilled properly, stuff didn't line up
> > even for assembly, and Amazon ended up giving me half of my money back.
> I
> > can't even use it for rack-mount eqiupment at all.
> >
> > https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MF4SKC
> >
> > Bill
> >
> > --
> > Bill Bradford
> > Houston, Texas USA
> > _______________________________________________
> > rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
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